What type of dehydration occurs in the body if salt water is consumed?

When salt water is consumed, the body experiences hypertonic dehydration. This occurs because salt water has a higher concentration of solutes (specifically sodium chloride) than the fluids within the body's cells.

Upon ingestion, the elevated salt concentration in the extracellular fluid draws water out of the cells in an attempt to balance the osmotic pressure. As a result, the cells lose water, leading to cellular dehydration. Consequently, the body tries to maintain homeostasis by pulling more water from other areas, exacerbating the dehydration.

Understanding this process highlights how the body's fluid balance can be disrupted by consuming substances with varying solute concentrations. In this scenario, the term hypertonic specifically describes the environment created by the high concentration of salts that leads to a net movement of water out of the cells, confirming why this term accurately identifies the type of dehydration that occurs.